Bobcats-76ers Preview

By ALAN FERGUSONPosted Mar 30 2013 1:05AM

Time has all but run out on the Philadelphia 76ers' playoff hopes. Failure to take advantage of back-to-back games against the lowly Charlotte Bobcats would likely hasten their official elimination.

The 76ers will try to continue their dominance over the Bobcats on Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

Philadelphia (29-43) has only 10 contests remaining as it tries to make up a 6 1/2-game deficit to Milwaukee for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The 76ers have kept their faint hopes alive by winning three of four, including a 100-92 victory over the Bucks on Wednesday.

Philadelphia followed with a 97-87 win in Cleveland on Friday as Evan Turner had 23 points and a season high-tying 13 rebounds.

"Any type of win is a great win," Turner said. "I got in a good rhythm coming right out of halftime. Any time when I'm attacking, I feel like I can be successful. The shots started falling, which was definitely cool."

"Our guys are playing to win, which is great," Doug Collins said. "The spirit of the team is good, which I really like. This was a good win, and I'm very proud of our guys."

The 76ers will next try to record their first three-game win streak in nearly two months and earn a season-high fourth straight victory at home. A visit from the Bobcats would appear to help Collins' team in pulling off both feats as Philadelphia has won five straight in the series and four in a row at home.

The 76ers prevailed 87-76 in the most recent meeting Feb. 9 in Philadelphia as Lavoy Allen had a career-high 22 rebounds and 14 points. Holiday scored 20 and Jeremy Pargo added 12 off the bench in his debut with the team.

Turner had 25 points and four other Sixers scored in double figures in a 104-98 win in Charlotte on Nov. 30.

The Bobcats (17-55) head into this game with three wins in their last six contests but lost 111-102 at New York on Friday after falling behind by 30 in the first half. Gerald Henderson tied a career high with 35 points in the team's season high-tying ninth straight road defeat.

"We've got a lot of fight," Henderson said. "It's just tough when you see you're down 30. It's hard to see the light. We got a lot of guys with pride and a lot heart. We just couldn't come up with it at the end of the game."

The 76ers and Bobcats will close the season series Wednesday in Charlotte, the start of a four-game road trip for Philadelphia. The Bobcats wrap up a three-game trek Monday in Milwaukee before returning home.

Philadelphia hasn't won three straight since Jan. 30-Feb. 4, and its last four-game home win streak was Jan. 27-Feb. 1, 2012, which started with an 89-72 win over Charlotte.

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Notebook: 76ers 100, Bobcats 92

THE FACTS: Evan Turner scored 22 points, Spencer Hawes had 19 and Jrue Holiday had 11 of his 14 in the fourth quarter, including nine in a row at one point, to lead the Philadelphia 76ers to a 100-92 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

Holiday was 2 for 13 before hitting his last four shots.

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist led the Bobcats with 21 and Gerald Henderson had 19 after averaging 34.5 over the past two games.

The Sixers have won three straight, though they're close to being eliminated from playoff contention. The Bobcats have the NBA's worst record.

QUOTABLE: "When it comes down to the crucial moments, I think my team has a lot of faith in me. My teammates and coaches encouraged me to make plays to close out the game."-- Holiday.

THE STAT: The Sixers had lost 31 straight games when allowing their opponent to shoot at least 50 percent. The Bobcats were exactly 50 percent from the floor (38 for 76), but Philadelphia got the win anyway.

TURNING POINT: Holiday drove through the lane and threw down a left-handed jam over Bismack Biyombo and Josh McRoberts to give the Sixers a 91-84 lead with 4:10 left.

HOT: Hawes was 8 for 12 and extended his career-best streak to nine consecutive games in double figures. He finished with six rebounds, falling short of his fifth double-double in six games.

NOT: Kemba Walker was 6 for 14 and 0 for 3 from 3-point range for the Bobcats. He hit a couple clutch shots down the stretch, however.

QUOTABLE II: "I thought the big play was Jrue's dunk. That gave us some juice."-- Sixers coach Doug Collins.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Kidd-Gilchrist had 19 points and nine rebounds, Henderson had seven assists to go with his 19 points and Walker finished with 14 points and nine assists.

Turner had seven rebounds with his 22 points, Thaddeus Young had 15 points and 10 boards, Holiday added nine assists with the 14 points.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Former Sixers star Allen Iverson, the 2000-01 NBA MVP, was introduced to the crowd before the opening tip-off. Iverson, wearing a Phillies zip-up, cap and black sunglasses, got a rousing ovation. He cupped his ear, drawing louder applause, and then high-fived some fans. Flyers forward Wayne Simmonds and Phillies outfielders Domonic Brown, Ben Revere and John Mayberry Jr. also were at the game.

QUOTABLE III: "Holiday made a couple of big plays, and obviously Kemba was good at the end, but we just couldn't stop them from scoring."-- Henderson.

GOOD MOVE: Putting the ball in Holiday's hands down the stretch even though he was struggling. Holiday responded by making his last four shots and leading the Sixers to the win.

BAD MOVE: After getting within 93-90 with 1:14 left, the Bobcats left the hot-shooting Holiday open to nail a 15-footer.